Monthly Archives: July 2007

This week is all about the inaugural 100 mile trail run in Northern Ohio..the Burning River 100.

I am pacing my man, Mike to his first 100 mile race. We’ll cross the finish line in Cuyahoga Falls and then jog two miles back to his house. I’ll even let him shower before me…

Really looking forward to the race, and the experience. This is my first time on the “other side” as a pacer, and a aid station worker for a 100 miler. I talked to Wendy for some time tonight, she is pacing Gabe, who is going for his 2nd Ohio 100 miler of the year. So is Josh !There are actually many others, who ran Mohican and are running Burning River. I think this might end up being a convenient 100 double for folks; hang onto that endurance honed for Mohican and use it up for the Burning River!!

It’s a good experience for all the northern Ohio ultra runners. Many others have commented on what a good community of runners we have, and I have to agree. It seems if an ultra runner is not running this event, they are volunteering somewhere out on the course.

I’m working Happy Days Aid Station Mile 65. This is great for me, because this is where I can pick up Mike at; this is the first place to pick up pacers. So, if you are pacing and picking up your runner here, please say hi to me; I’ll be the trail goddess among the other NEO Trail Runners at our aid station

Cool but very humid out. I started the run at 545 am, amidst alot of fog. This was my run to town and back. I was very curious to see whether the Rottweiler was still around. I tucked a large dog biscuit into my waist pack just in case.

Sure enough, he starts barking as I climb the hill, he can hear me talking. (I was also talking into my recorder for posterity, in case it was my last recording.) He trots off his property, into the road, but I am ready for him. “Hi buddy!” I chirp and toss the dog biscuit into the road, away from me. He goes right for it, and then moves off as I praise him and call him a good dog. So the Trail Goddess tames the large puppy…I will have to remember to bring a dog cookie when I run this route..

I encountered another critter on my run, but he was much less threatening Since we’re into naming critters on runs, he quickly became Sam (for Sam the salamander. Although I doubt he is one, maybe a newt??)

I got to the gym at 0755 and it wasn’t open. So I decided to not do my 4 mile loop, since I now needed to go buy water or Gatorade. I spent 5 minutes in the gas station, in line, while the guy in the car in the drive-through kept making the poor clerk try to find Pepsi-Max or something like that..buddy, how bout you get your lazy ass out of the car and come into the store and get it yourself?–and the other person in front of me couldn’t decide on what scratch off lottery tickets she wanted…I finally got some Gatorade and headed back toward home.

The first two miles out of town is usually my cranky time, since I am on the state route and don’t have much berm and everyone drives about 70 MPH.Today though, the drivers were courteous and there was great cloud cover, and it was great! But then I discovered all the idiots were taking the back road I was running….no cars at all going the other way, and they were giving me, oh about one foot of courtesy clearance. Thanks drivers!!

I gave my Saucony ProGrid Triumphs another shot. They seemed fine today. Maybe the soles were just stiff. Maybe it was just me. Maybe my form was off during the week, because I didn’t feel my feet slapping the pavement in them on this run, so they are keepers after all.

I knew there was a reason to get up early. I might have glossed over thisblog entry:

“my attraction to adventures where transcendence and great physical outpouring is present. long mountain bike rides. long trail runs. it’s not about just spending time, it’s about the speed and rhythm of the task as well. just hiking won’t do it. the rhythm of carving single track on a bicycle and moving with the earth rather than against it. single track that is animal made or older than modern trail making always seems to flow with nature rather than some man made dedicated single track bent on entertainment rather than function.

i guess on one hand, there is not such thing as bad single track. but go run by a flowing river or old animal path and see where your mind goes versus riding the twisty dedicated single track of a “park” “

I guess my thought patterns will be in a different mode since I’m running roads this am. Yes, a neccessary evil at times. I’m taking a dog biscuit for that big Rottweiler this time.

Just getting the rest of my stuff together for a long run in the am. Getting up at 4am, seeing how soon I will get out of here..probably not till 530am, but that gives me time to eat oatmeal, drink lots of coffee and catch up on blogs..still won’t be light, but I might take my light with me (running roads don’t really need lights unless I trip on road kill..) just to test it out…Burning River next weekend!!!!

Still, what kind of freaky people is happy, making sure they’ve got their clothes together, food ready, just got some $$ together for a potential fast food stop on the run tomorrow. Now I wish I could find my Garmin, but I’m happy just finding the iPod.

I feel like I’m MIA, although I’ve been right here.Mainly fighting with technology.

I have to say happily, though, the missing iPod docking station for my vehicle has been found!! Whee, without spending $70 for a replacement! It’s been missing since Monday, a rather inoppurtune week for me.

I did get some running in this week. I have to say though, the Saucony Pro Grid Triumphs are not working for me. There is something different in the sole construction. I feel like my feet are slapping down on the pavement. On two different runs, they left my shins tight and calves tight. Eventually, on the longer run, the muscles eased, b ut on the shorter run..well I cut it short my shins were hurting. I think I am going to have to go back to my standard, the Saucony Trigon Rides version 6 or whatever they are..

I’m going to a 9 mile round the block tomorrow, followed by a 25 miler (or 4 hour) ish run on Saturday morning early, just to have time on my feet. I think I will then slack off-I mean taper like, and rest up for the Burning River festivities to come!

The podcast that Andrew and I are creating is coming along. I’ve been working hard on the website/blog portion, and Andrew has been learning about editing. It’s alot of fun and a bit of hard work, so that’s where some of my spare time has been going this week. We may ask some of you to listen to our introductory podcast and give us some feedback!

I went to the doctor today. When I took my spill last Monday, I cleverly aimed my body away from the hard dirt trail over to the cushy green vegetation. Which was ripe with..either poison oak or sumac. I doubt it was poison ivy, since that stuff is rampant over our estate. The rash started last week, but more and more itchy bumps started breaking out over the weekend. I used the diluted bleach solution (make a very weak solution of water and bleach) and dabbed that on. The calamine lotion helped a bit, but with the looks of the rash spreading-it was on my right arm and right leg, which is what I landed on during the tumble-to the left leg, I thought it was time for a doctor visit.My doctor concurred with my professional opinion of contact dermatitis. He offered a prescription for a topical steroid cream to try first, rather than oral steroids, since he knows of my aversion to taking anything that can lead to a weight gain.

At the pharmacy, the pharmacy technician offered me some Poison Ivy Soap. She says this has been working well for people. I bought a bar of this, to just use on the rash areas. So between that and the steroid cream, I should be done with the itchies soon.

Now I have been counseled about the dangers of trail running. I’ve heard one doesn’t get rashes like this out running on the road.

Except for maybe road rash, which looks worse to me than a little bit of itchiness!

I was really hoping it was going to be a nice day..it started out that day, with being able to get into a pair of pants that hadn’t fit a few weeks ago. That’s enough to make a woman’s day right there!Then I got a surprise gift at work..

Is this not the greatest T-shirt or what??? I’m going to wear this to the pasta dinner Friday night before Burning River to put everyone on notice.

It was a perfect day for a run. Blue skies, big white cottonball clouds, 72 degrees…

Now occassionally, or actually very regularly, the Trail Goddess has to venture out on roads to get her miles in. BUT this is the type of country I get to run in. Am I lucky or what? This is part of my ‘around the block’ loop from the gym.

So I paused at the top of the hill, and decided to set the camera on a post to do the obligatory self-portrait. As I place the camera down on the post, I hear a humming. And I take a closer look at the post, and noticed the rubber wrapped wires…hey this is an electric fence…maybe I should take my camera and go play somewhere else..

Oh, yeah the blog heading-How to Make Kim Run Faster-I followed this road, instead of turning right, to its end. It dumped me back on the four lane highway, and I knew my turn off was about 2 miles away.SO I was running sub 10 minute miles-the first mile was 9.39; I really did not want to be on this road! This was funny. Maybe I should make this part of my route, to coax me into some quicker speed along the way.

Besides the camera, I was carrying my digital recorder. Andrew and I will be broadcasting a podcast soon, about ultra running. We are still working out details and testing equipment and such. So I thought I would take my digital recorder and see how it sounds out in the field.So, you might not only be recordered for the blog, you may end up on the podcast too!!